Following the announcement by Net-A-Porter of a children’s wear site, Couturing asks where do we draw the line with splashing cash on our little ones’ wardrobes?
With Natalie Massent going from strength to strength in the domain of online shopping and high-end retail, Petite-A-Porter seemed only logical as the next fashion frontier to conquer. Without the site yet launched, we can only assume what the virtual shelves will be stacked with, Ralph Lauren kids, OshKosk, Lanvin and a slew of other labels venturing into children’s wear. Online store AlexandAlexa already offers a platform for children’s wear online, with brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Little Marc Jacobs and Paul Smith Junior, where some items fetch triple figure price tags.
Of course, whilst prices won’t be as high as Net-A-Porter’s offering of pret-a-port, one can only imagine the boutique price bracket. It’ll be a question of time to see how willing people are to fork out for their kids’ wardrobes.
The Beckham kids are one example of the good that could come from Petite-A-Porter. Whilst any family portrait may look like some digital collage of David through the ages, his sons have clearly inherited only the good genes from both mum and dad. Each is like a mini-me, impeccable wardrobes to match.
However, Petite-A-Porter could also be evidence of parents taking Designer Babies too far. Almost quite literally, clothing your child in only designer goods. It could turn into gross excess unless we draw a line.
But it’s not all negative. Spending a bit extra on our kids’ wardrobes, as well as their health and wellbeing of course, will only teach them the life lesson of presentation. We just have to hope bad habits from a disposable income and frivolous spending isn’t heretic.
The move into children’s wear comes as Net-A-Porter continues to boast profits each year. Luxury business is booming, online especially. A platform like Net-A-Porter offers the widest range of high-end and limited run brands in one spot, which saves you shopping around. This is even more appealing if you live outside of the world’s fashion capitals.
Really, the move is a strategic business decision to corner another market (or segment in this case). Couturing applauds Natalie and Net-A-Porter for this, we just hope that consumers and customers keep things in perspective. Money on health and education is much better spent than designer wares for your kids.
But then money is disposable if you can afford to splash $50,000 on that Dolce and Gabanna dress.
Images courtesy of Style.com and Dolce and Gabbana
Leave a Reply